Continuing our highlights from Day 3 of FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL 2013…
THE CURE played an absolute marathon set as the headliner for Day 3 of the festival. A whopping 3 hours of music comprised of 36 tracks had them finishing up at 12:15am, at which point even the most die-hard fans were probably ready for bed, especially after a whole day of running around the mountains catching other bands.
The Cure formed in West Sussex back in 1976, have comprehensively toured the world on 13 studio albums, and have undergone a great many lineup changes, with the only consistent member being rock enigma Robert Smith. These days the lineup consists of Simon Gallup on bass, Roger O’Donnell on keys, Jason Cooper on drums and Reeves Gabrels on guitar, all of whom previously played in The Cure for a considerable amount of time during the band’s 37+ year lifespan.
The Cure’s set began with all members except Smith appearing onstage and playing the opening section to “Plainsong” from hit album “Disintegration.” After a few minutes, Smith appeared somewhat frighteningly from the smoke, sauntered up to Gabrels and gave up him a knowing smile before taking his place at the centre of the stage and unleashing The Cure’s magic upon an absolutely massive crowd.
The Cure have most often been identified as a ‘gothic rock’ group, however that classification has been adamantly rejected by Smith on many occasions, preferring ‘post-punk’ but commenting that they’re “just The Cure.” During their exhaustive career, both Robert Smith and The Cure eventually became notorious for their appearance, wearing massive amounts of dark eye-makeup and lipstick, and Smith sporting a wild sprayed-up do – a look that was boldly upheld for their performance on Sunday at Fuji Rock. Time has taken its toll however, and these days Smith resembles more of an unhinged mad scientist/Beetlejuice mashup rather than a rebellious rock icon, but one thing remains the same: his extraordinary vocal talents. The man sounds exactly the same as always, and he was able to present fans with the nostalgic and undeniably “Cure” performance they were hoping for. Fans were treated to an epic 10-song encore before the group closed with “Killing An Arab” from album “Boys Don’t Cry.”
Next up for The Cure is Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, where they’re headlining alongside Depeche Mode, Muse and Kings of Leon.